MHA cancels registration of 8,975 foreign-funded NGOs for not filing their annual returns

Posted Date : 29-Apr-2015 , 07:31:47

Notification Detail :

Central Government, exercising its power conferred under Section 14 of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) 2010, cancelled the certificate of registration of 8,975 NGOs for violating provisions of section 18, read with Rule 17(2) of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Rule, 2011.

In view of section 18 of the FCRA 2010, every person who has been granted a certificate under this Act has to furnish, within prescribed time and manner, an annual return to the Central Government and such other authority as may be specified by the Central Government, as to the amount of foreign contribution received by it, the source thereof, the manner and purposes of receipt and the utilized thereof.

In the order the Home Ministry said that notices were issued to 10,343 NGOs for not filing annual returns for the year 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12. The NGOs were accepting foreign funds without filing of annual returns. They had neither filed their annual returns nor given any explanation for the delay.

However, in response to the notice, only 229 replies to the show cause notices were filed and examined on case-to-case basis.

Accordingly, it has been directed to cancel the registration of NGOs, It has also been directed to the district magistrate's to "manage the assets" of these NGOs in any manner "considered necessary and in public interest".

Among the associations whose licenses were cancelled include Don Bosco School Damra in Assam, Osmania University in Hyderabad and Bethel Church association in Bihar besides many other Christian NGO's.